Those Dancing Days – In Our Space Hero Suits (Wichita)

It would be easy to congratulate Those Dancing Days for playing instruments and writing their own songs, but that’s extremely patronising considering it’s never remarked of male acts. In Our Space Hero Suits isn’t likely to be the year’s biggest seller, but it’s refreshing and inspiring to see girls our age making music without needing to relinquish a speck of their individuality.

Getting together at school, the five girls uploaded a few cute indie-pop tracks onto MySpace, and caught the attention of musical taste-makers all over the world. In Sweden, they’re best known for ‘Hitten’ (meaning “the hit”), and as its title suggests it’s clearly their stand-out track. But the album boasts several more charmers including the wistful electro album closer ‘Spaceherosuits’ and the adorably jaunty recent single, ‘Home Sweet Home’.

It will certainly be too sweet for some, but if you like idiosyncratic retro-pop in the vein of The Pipettes or The Long Blondes, then In Our Space Hero Suits deserves a spot at the top of your to-buy list. Swedish music has come a long way since ABBA, and it’s about time acts like this got some recognition.